The Back Abbey

TLDR: This place is nice, but frustrating.
I just came here for the first time in a long time with a coworker for lunch. Sadly they got rid of the one thing that I really liked which is the Bavarian Pretzel. Sad.
This place has decent food. The fries (pomme frites) are okay, but the dipping sauces are really good.
They have a large beer selection, but they are all German (I assume) and so there’s no real way to know which beers are what kind. You can ask the staff, but they aren’t always super helpful.
The thing about this place is that the staff are not super helpful or responsive. I’ve come here plenty before in large groups, and the server will often come up and ask a few people if there’s anything needed, and not the whole table. Someone will realize and try to speak up but the server has already quickly turned away and won’t return when called. Overall the staff seems annoyed to be answering questions or serving parties which are large or mostly drinking.
The seating is seat yourself. This can be frustrating if you are the first ones to sit outside on a day. You need to go in and get someone’s attention.
Today they were also out of a lot of beer, including the only wheat beer they have.

Great food and delicious beer! It was pretty packed on a Friday night and my waitress was slammed so we didn’t get the best service .but she was doing her best. Overall their food and beer hit the spot :)
I will be back!

Literally love this place ! Food is amazing atmosphere is great ! They have an indoor section as well as an outdoor section for your choosing! Also have a huge variety of
Beers and always offer a sample of you are unsure before you order !

Just the beers alone is a 5 star, but the food and the selection of food is a 3+.
The beer list is impressive with many exclusive beers.

Being a foodie and a beer aficionado, this place clearly was on point for my pic tonight. Food was delish (crab cakes are amazing), sauces for fries pleased every palate preference from sweet to savory, and beer… what a selection. Service killed the 5 star rating. Chick was clearly not in her happy place. Took a while to be acknowledged, and served, and check out… all whilst ½ tables were occupied. Slam bang.

Been wanting to try this place for some time now based on the high rating. Wasn’t terrible but was underwhelmed.
Arrived around 7pm on a Wednesday evening and luckily, wasn’t packed. We were greeted right away and you seat yourself. Our waitress was very nice and cheery.
Our order consisted of the Blanche de Bruxelles, soup of the day: bacon potato corn chowder, full order of pomme frittes, bistro Frisee salad and back abbey burger.
Beer was very nice and they have quite a selection.
Soup was ok and was served warm with sliced baguette and butter on the side.
Salad was meh. Not much of the cheese but the dressing was fresh and light. The bacon lardons were a bit tough and had a strong smokey flavor. Again… meh.
Now the back abbey burger and fries… we had such high expectations. So high that I believe was the cause of being underwhelmed. To hear/​read such rave reviews we expected the world. Suffice to say, was just ok. Personally, prefer the dips at congregation ale house. The fries, though fried in duck fat, were nothing to write home about. I LOVE fries and these were blah. Burger didn’t seem like anything special. Have had similar and better.
Overall, was eh. Total bill came out to around $ 53. Small joint, can get loud at times with some interesting folks. At one point, two older men sat at the table next to us and were taking about prostitutes, pu$$y, etc. Vulgar talk which was upsetting my man because he didn’t think it was appropriate with ladies present (gentlemen still do exist lol). Upon arriving we switched tables because first table was overly sticky. Cooks let their long hair fly freely.
One plus, outside seating is dog friendly. Saw a couple with their dog.
This place is now crossed off my list of «places to try». Not super terrible but definitely have had much better.

It was my first time there. The place was clean and inviting. The décor was brillant. Atmosphere casual and cool. The staff very pleasant with awesome service. I had the Po Boy Shrimp Sandwhich. It was delicious.

Juicy meat! Big buns! Their french fries are sooo good!!! I think they have the best burgers. I love how they cook the meat to your desire. I always get my meat medium. Well done is too dry and medium never failed me. They give you a side salad with your burger and I love the dressing on the salad. I always get the Back Abbey burger since it has all the ingredients I love! The burger is pretty big. I had to push it down from the top for it to fit my small mouth. It gets pretty crowded at night but if I go around 4 it’s pretty empty. I like how you can eat outside and it’s seat yourself so find a comfy spot to enjoy your meal. The only negative part is that they don’t have takeout. I understand why they don’t have it but it would be nice if they provided it.

Love this place! Best service from Janet and all her help! They were always attentive and making sure we always had what we needed. On top of the game! Food was great! My boyfriend is very particular about crab cakes and he loved them. Amazing! Duck fries are always so good! The Tip has an unbelievable flavor as the crème fraîche adds to the goodness. Also the back abbey burger is always my fave! Wine is great too! Always a great experience!

Alright, this place was hella good. Will definitely come back.
I got the Back Abbey burger with the side salad, got it Medium however, since I don’t particularly prefer Medium Rare. The brioche bun was good, but I would’ve preferred it to be a bit toasted.
Beer was good, although pricey and I feel like they should give you more per glass.
The horseradish dip for the fries was definitely my favorite!

Such great service– I love Katlyn… Please ask for her.
The menu is so fun.
Everyone is so happy here.
I’m coming back as soon as I can

First time eating lunch here and it was delicious.
Had the backyard hamburger, the meat was cook just perfect, juicy and tender.
The service was quick and friendly which is always a plus.
The only bad thing is that they do not have a lot of options so if you are into only sandwiches, hamburger and salads than this place will be good.

First time here and I gotta say…
Service was awesome right from the start!
Burgers are very good. If your on the light healthy side but don’t want a veggie burger i highly recommend the seasonal burger good!
Beers are awesome!!! Enough said!

The customer service, well there was none. I stood inside by the entrance for about 5 minutes as waitresses, waiters, cooks, everyone in that joint ignored me. Not even a hi, hello, welcome. Pretty soon I took out my timer and counted another 3 minutes before my daughter noticed the lil sign that says seat yourself. So we did but had to wait another 15 min. Still they could have said something. So I figured okay well maybe there busy and these burgers are gonna be great. But that was a huge disappointment also. Mediocre overpriced, dry bun, frozen patty burger. That’s what really got me. I wasted all that time and money. The crab cakes were also disgusting. This place is terrible I’m never going back. P. S I’ve never really
wanted to write negative review about any place… and have not… but this place earned it.

Second time here, mainly for the duck fat fries. The back abbey burger is solid, but nothing particularly memorable. The fries come with ketchup and two different aiolis. I personally couldn’t eat one because it had horseradish in it, which I’m not a fan of. Also, a half order should be plenty for 2. We also tried the mussels, which comes in a huge black pot. The sauce is creamy, buttery, and delicious. We practically drank it. They also gave a generous portion of mussels so we had plenty to go with the baguette the dish comes with, so much that we had to order another baguette.
This time around, I tried a bottled cider (Floris). I wouldn’t recommend it, it was strangely sweet in a medicinal way. Would probably stick with one of their many beers or water.

This is a really cool spot for you beer lovers. They have a variety of beers… you name it! We had a light/​blonde beer, it was pretty good. The waitress helped us pick one out.
The burgers are good, different and possibly healthier. Lol The cheeses are not ones you find at every pub, so that was cool. And I’m speaking cheese platters when I say cheeses. The cheeses are well distributed in the burger as well. Not your typical everyday cheese. That’s plus!
The ambiance is pretty cool, especially in the evening. Our waitress/​service was alright. Not the friendliest gal, but it also wasn’t lousy service.

I would have liked this place more if servers actually tried.
Service was lacking. I ordered fries as a snack for myself with a beer and they put the fries at the other end of the table unnoticed. I used to be a server so I know there’s communication that goes on between servers and runners about who ordered what and what was ordered for the whole table as opposed to an individual, so it shouldn’t have been trouble for the server to let the runner know to deliver those fries straight to me instead of having me confused about where my fries went. And then when asked if our table was missing anything I told them my fries were missing and the server just looked at me like I was crazy. As if I should know that my fries were sitting at the other end of the table. It wasn’t until later on when someone at the other end of the table paused from eating their meal and asked whose fries those were that I realized where my fries were the whole time. If that was never mentioned I would have been fry-​less the whole time since the server failed to let me know the fries were already delivered.
The fries and beer were good. But the service was absolutely poor that even all of their great dipping sauces for fries and extended variety of beers on tap couldn’t make up for it.

Was in the area seeing a movie at Laemelles. Ive been wanting to try the food at The Back Abbey for awhile, and decided there was no better time than the present.
:LOCATION:
Located in the chic Claremont Village. Behind Casa 425 and next to Laemelles. In a traditional mission-​style building.
:ATMOSPHERE:
There is plenty of outdoor seating, as well as bar and table seating inside. Its a pretty laid back Gastropub, you seat yourself. So, don’t stand around looking weird… sit. Decorated with various German and Belgian beers gives it a European flair. Everyone is nice, personable and helpful. All of the service staff helped everyone. Sitting at the quaint bar I could see the camaraderie.
:FOOD/​DRINK:
— The Back Abbey Burger ($ 14): Aged Gouda, Mustard Aioli, Caramelized Onion, Niman Ranch Bacon, Micro Greens, Brioche Bun. Medium-​Rare. Really great burger, like really, really good. Juicy, seasoned perfectly and nothing stood out. Everything blended perfectly which is essential to a good burger. There was a side salad too which had a lite house dressing. Great if you don’t want to eat fries, although I heard they were delicious.
— C & T Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 ($ 11): Yum. Full-​bodied, slight bit of spice to it. Really went well with the burger.
I really like this place. Its a great place to come have a meal outdoors when the weather is nice, or whenever you are in the area.

Coming here is soooooo chill. Hostess, party reservations? Nope, just plop into whatever seat is available inside or out on the patio and wait for service to come to you. I’ve been here several times, but to break it down stick with the Back Abbey or the Seasonal for burgers… they even come with a side salad. Just be careful with defaulting to the waiter’s recommendation of medium rare as this sometimes translates into «bloody as hell» (but not always). Last time I came here, my first bite into the Seasonal was like squeezing a turkey baster and juice ended up squirting onto my leg. 2 hours later my bowels entered DEFCON 1. Not pretty. May want to go up a level when asked how you want your burger.
The beer selection is pretty good but overwhelming when you look at the menu for the first time. If you have absolutely no idea, just pull a waiter aside and play 20 questions with them until they help you narrow down something that’s agreeable to your palate. My girlfriend and I usually split a blonde together.
While the burgers are great, the pommes frites are divine. Their special claim-​to-​fame is the fact that the fries are fried in duck fat, giving it a nice crispy texture that goes perfect with… well, burgers and beer! A half order comes with 3 dipping sauces and will feed 2 people while a full order comes with 4 dipping sauces and should suit 4 people comfortably.
If you’re coming in during the weekend, I would avoid going between 7−9pm. Parking sucks, and because it’s a «seat yourself» policy you end up having to scope out for a table for yourself while standing outside the restaurant awkwardly. But with the exception of Father’s Office, this is one of my favorite gastropubs in L.A. so sometimes the wait is worth it!

great place to catch up with a friend at this casual burger joint with beer & wine
SELF SEATING policy & i was lucky to grab a seat on the outdoor patio without a wait, don’t be shy to ask a smaller party to share a larger table
—back abbey burger: i was expecting this to be amazing but it really fell flat. the patty was a nice medium rare but had no char texture on the outside, the aged gouda was not remotely melted (is that normal?), and the brioche bun was a bit too hefty for me (although it holds up nicely to the juices)
—half order of the duck fat fries: perfect to share among 2 people, this was delicious when eaten just as it hits the table! comes with 3 dipping sauces, but OG ketchup was my fav
sorry but just didn’t live up to the hype! my friend wasn’t too impressed with his red monk burger either